I attended the launch of the Brunei Gastronomy Week held at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism building yesterday. It was launched by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.

Now what can you expect during Brunei Gastronomy Week which will run from 22nd to 26th February? Selected cafes and restaurants will introduce local cuisines in a more modernized and sophisticated way. I managed to view and did some tasting on the samples given yesterday after the launch. There’s something definitely to look forward to next week.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is an initiative by the Brunei Tourism Board under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and also coinciding with the upcoming 33rd National Day celebrations. They have collaborated with local cafes and restaurants and even Royal Brunei Airlines.

There were dishes such as the Bamboo Chicken, Acar Buah-Buahan, Sup Kembayau, Sup Tahai, Nasi Katok, Soto Brunei and many more.

On 23rd February, Royal Brunei Airlines will be serving local cuisines in all regional flights and the travel agents will work closely to help to promote to their passengers who will be visiting Brunei Darussalam.

 

 

The Guest of honour with the board members, general managers and chefs  

The Guest of honour with the general managers and chefs 

The Guest of honour with chefs 

Royal Brunei Catering is one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week 

Urbn Kitchen is also one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week 

The Brunei Gastronomy Week will also be judged based on the given criteria to give incentives to the participating restaurants and cafes. The judges will make their rounds and sample the dishes served and the winners will be announced at the Tourism Industry Award ceremony in April.

This is a very good initiative by Brunei Tourism Board and this will help to create more awareness on local cuisines and also promoting the restaurants and cafes as well as improving the quality of the dishes.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is a way to celebrate and create awareness on Bruneian cuisine, a way to encourage more hotels and restaurants to serve Bruneian cuisine in a more sophisticated way, to improve on the state and elevate the presentation of Bruneian dishes that be part of a fine dining experience and it’s a way to provide a unique Bruneian gastronomical experience to visitors within and outside Brunei.

 

 

The Deconstruct Nasi Katok 

The Minister touring and sampling food for the Brunei Gastronomy Week 

Representing Royal Brunei Airlines 

Kolo Mee with prawn from My Town Cafe 

 

Chin Tze Yuan, the President of the Hakka Association with Anwar Rosli, the event manager of KB Sentral and organiser of the event at KB Sentral last weekend 

 

 Yee Sang pose 

A Chinese Culture Week was organised and hosted by KB Sentral Event Management at KB Sentral Shopping Centre. Present as the guest of honour was Chin Tze Yuan, the President of the Hakka Association last weekend.

It was a celebration in conjunction with the recent Chinese New Year. According to Anwar Rosli, the event manager and organiser of the event, yesterday’s celebration showcased the richness of Chinese culture and celebrates the diversity of the many cultures in Brunei.

There were performances by Chung Hwa Middle School in Kuala Belait, such as Wushu (martial arts), drum performance and Chinese cultural dance. Yes, we do have talents among our locals.

Along the way, they had numerous activities such as cooking demo, orange eating competition and colouring activities. There was also Angpow or red packets and oranges giveaway as part of the activity at the atrium of Sentral Shopping Centre for all our customers in light of the ongoing festive spirit!

At the end of the event, the guest of honour and staff of KB Sentral took part in the tossing of ‘Yee Sang’ (prosperity toss) as a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigour for the year of the rooster.

To all shoppers at KB Sentral can join in on their Monthly and Lucky Draw campaign and there will be their February Monthly Lucky draw which a PS4 console game is up for grab as the grand prize will be held here on the 26th February at 4pm while the next Grand Lucky Draw with a bungalow house as the grand prize will be held on July 9th, 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam made a surprise visit the day after the official launch. It was a great gesture by His Majesty the Sultan and unlike other countries, our Sultan loves to connect with the people of Brunei, up close and personal. Image courtesy of @queennajmina 

After many shifting and relocating, this looks to be a permanent spot for Pasar Gadong or what they call “Pasar Pelbagai Barangan Gadong”. Yea, it’s kinda of a long name but many of us are used to Pasar Gadong.

You will be surprised to how much the vendors are now paying as compared to before. Previously they will fork out as much as $300 to $400 per month. Now with a better set up and proper facilities, the vendors are only paying less than $40 per month which is a real steal.

The new facilities is a gift from His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

These have been an ongoing problem for the market vendors since last year due to the reallocation. Hence now the problem have been solved with the support and involvement of the Brunei Government.

It has a proper shelter, high roofing, spacious and well built. I believe LSL contributed in this project (from what I heard). Perhaps there was one minor thing and that’s the smoking vents. I’m not sure if it’s working or not but some parts were smokey. Well, it’s just a minor thing but I hope it can be looked into.

It was great to know that some entrepreneurs were given micro-credit from DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) where they received finance to help move their businesses.

It was also a great sight to see His Majesty the Sultan making a surprise visit at the newly established Pasar Pelbagai Barangan and toured the premises. His Majesty was the favourite among the crowd where selfies became a common thing. Sellers and vendors also took the opportunity to thank His Majesty in person.

The Pasar Pelbagai Barangan was officially launched last week by Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The refurbishment of the market was done under the Julangan Titah Project, an initiative of the Office of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

Let’s hope this will boost the economy for Brunei and make this one of the attractions for foreigners and tourists alike. I’ve already been there twice and I’m impressed. Just make sure we keep the place nice and clean and be grateful to His Majesty the Sultan in providing such facilities for vendors.

 

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran-Pengiran Cheteria, Cabinet Ministers, members of Legislative Council and senior government officials attended the official opening last week 

Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during the launch< /strong> 

One of the recipients of the micro credit scheme 

The attendees during the launch 

 

One of the vendors at Pasar Pelbagai Barangan 

I kinda like this churros 

Vendors enjoying brisk business during the first few days of operations 

Jaymee hunting for apam 

 

I love the high ceiling and the structure of the pasar 

It’s the durian season 

Cakoi anyone? 

Quite a crowd especially during night time 

 

 

 

One of the world’s top heavy metal bands credited with popularizing the genre, Megadeth, is finally coming to Malaysia!

After a much-anticipated wait, Megadeth’s debut performance in Kuala Lumpur – organised by IME Malaysia – will see the band rock Stadium Negara on Thursday, 4th May 2017 at 8pm.

Founded in 1983, Megadeth virtually gave birth to a genre when their debut release became recognized as the Greatest Thrash Metal Debut Album of All Time.

“Kuala Lumpur is somewhere I’ve always wanted to hit when we’ve been trekking through Asia,” co-founder and front man Dave Mustaine was quoted saying in an interview recently. “They’re going to let us bring our brand of metal music, it’s really rewarding,” he added.

The tour is in support of their latest album Dystopia, their first album in 3 years and their fifteenth album to date. Rock critics and fans around the world are hailing Dystopia as a triumphant return from one of the most important bands in the scene.

The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance of 2017. With 49,000 units sold in its first week of release, Dystopia took the no. 3 spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart alongside Adele and Justin Bieber. It’s the highest charting album for the band since 1992’s Countdown to Extinction which peaked at No. 2 on the chart. Dystopia was listed as one of the 20 Best Metal Albums of 2016 by Rolling Stone magazine.

The current Megadeth line up comprises of Dave Mustaine on vocals and guitar, David Ellefson on bass, guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. For the past 3 decades, Megadeth has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, earning numerous accolades including 12 Grammy nominations and scoring five consecutive platinum albums.

Tickets to Megadeth Live in Malaysia are priced at RM428 (Deth Pitt Zone, Free Standing), RM388 (VIP, Numbered Seat), RM358 (Rock Zone, Free Standing), RM288 (CAT1, Numbered Seat) and RM198 (CAT2, Free Seating). Tickets are available via TicketCharge online at www.ticketcharge.com.my or the hotline +603-92228811 starting from 10th February 2017, 11:00am onwards. Fans also can purchase ticket at selected outlets for Speedy video, Victoria Music, Rock Corner, Chambers Music, PJ Live Arts, information counter at The Mines shopping mall and 1 Shamelin. Outstation outlets such as Eden Ultimate (Kuantan) and Blonde Brunette (Penang). All ticket prices are inclusive of 6% GST but exclusive of RM4 processing fee.

For the latest updates on the event, visit @IMEAsia on Facebook, @IME_Asia on Instagram, @IMEProduction on Twitter, or @IMEProductions on WeChat.

 

 

Seating plans 

Times Square Shopping Centre will be having its first prize presentation for its 7th Lucky Draw Campaign this Sunday on the 12th of February 2017, 2:00 pm, at Times Square Atrium. Lots of attractive prizes will be rewarded to the winners such as restaurant vouchers, hotel vouchers, phones, electrical appliances, gadgets and many more.

Lucky Draw coupon holders must be present at the Lucky Draw presentation, along with their Identity Cards (IC) as proof of identity and their Lucky Draw coupons. Representatives are allowed, but they must bring along their own ICs, as well as photocopy IC of the winner along with the original coupon. Lucky Draw coupon holders who do not win at each draw will not have their coupons carried forward as they will be permanently removed after each draw. Only receipts from the same day of submission are eligible for the draw.

Times Square is also glad to announce that there will be several events in the nearest future. Next week Times Square will host the Japanese Language and Culture Week on 17th to 19th February 2017 with the collaboration of Embassy of Japan in Brunei and Japan Foundation. There will also be a 3 on 3 Under-18 Basketball Tournament which will be held on 24th to 26th February 2017. You may also find out about all upcoming events by visiting tsqbrunei.com or simply follow Times Square Shopping Centre’s pages on Facebook and Instagram.

For further information, please call 2338208 or 2338006 during office hours.

 

 

Times Square together with Shooting Stars will be organising 3 ON 3 Basketball Tournament on the 24th till 26th February 2017.
What are you guys waiting for? Registration is now OPEN!!! Forms can be collected at Lucky Draw Counter located in front of Dee Jay Home Video,Times Square. Closing date for registration will be on 19th February 2017! Whats more exciting is that all players will be FIBA RANKED!!
 

Japanese Language and Culture Festival is happening next weekend (17th to 19th February) 

 

 

Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei (TAIB) have many events up their sleeves. Their presence have been felt since the last quarter of 2016 and there will have more events lined up for 2017.

This morning they just officially announced two events which will happen this Friday – “Kuliah Subuh” and “Ceramah Perdana”. These activities are in conjunction with TAIB’s Silver Jubilee celebration.

The “Kuliah Subuh” will take place at 6:15am at Masjid Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah on Friday, 10th February. It is definitely open to public and the featured speaker will be an invited guest from Malaysia, Ustaz Don Daniel bin Don Biyajid. The talk will be based on “Rezeki dan Hutang”.

The other event which is the “Ceramah Perdana” will take place at 8pm at Indoor Stadium and again, it will feature Ustaz Don Daniyal bin Don Biyajid and also Ustaz Hj Khairul Nazif bin Hj Damit. The evening talk will be entitled “Jutawan Akhirat”

TAIB being an Islamic Financial Institution, was coveted towards topics that would be relevant to the financial field. However, it is also important to create awareness on the difference between conventional Financial Planning and Islamic Planning.

Unlike conventional Financial Planning, Islamic Financial Planning, enriches one’s understanding in financial for both “Duniawi” and “Ukhrawi”.

 

 

Halija Jaya, Head of Marketing & Corporate Communication of Perbadanan TAIB, Waddi Aleyamin bn Hj Ibrahim, Officer Procurement Division of Perbadanan TAIB and Zamzaipa binti Hj Ismail, Head of Accounting & Finance cum Event Lead Ceramah Perdana of Perbadanan TAIB in this morning’s press conference at TAIB office. 

Nurliyana binti Hj Marsini, Event Co-ordinator of TAIB 25, holding a ticket of Ceramah Perdana which will be made available this Wednesday 

The invited speaker Ustaz Don Daniyal bin Don Biyajid 

Ustaz Hj Khairul Nazif bin Hj Damit will also deliver a talk this FridayAs I mentioned, both the talks are opened to public. For the evening talk, there will be tickets that can be collected at TAIB branches starting this Wednesday 8th February. Tickets are free so I would expect a huge crowd at this event.

Tickets can be collected at TAIB branch at Jalan Sultan (Bandar), KB branch, Tutong branch, Temburong branch, Platinum TAIB and TAIB Financing Centre, 1st floor at Airport Mall.

Facts on Perbadanan TAIB:

It celebrated its 25th anniversary on 29th September 2016. In conjunction with its silver jubilee, a programme with a series of activities have been organised as to celebrate this momentous occasion with its customers as well as the Brunei community. As a financial institution that provides syariah compliant financial solutions, TAIB is committed to contribute as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility in education.

Ceramic Perdana is an educational religious session and TAIB remains focus to support in enhancing the level of education in Brunei Darussalam. Hence, a collaboration with Kuiscell Sendirian Berhad (Malaysia) was achieved that resulted to an invitation of Ustaz Don Daniyal to Brunie Darussalam.

Perbadanan TAIB would also like to extend their appreciation towards Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei (MUIB), Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs for making this event a possibility.

You can follow their updates on IG @taib_bn

 

 

Grab your tickets soon and it’s free 

The sitting arrangement this Friday and it can fill up to 5,000 in capacity 

 

 

Want to enjoy a good movie outing at the comfort of your home? Check out the latest deal from Bilster Technologies – the Dell S320 projector. It inspire audiences with vivid 3D and shadow-free video projections and furthermore, it offers interactive and wireless capability.

As I mentioned, it reduces shadowy images with a short-throw projection. It has an HDMI port that lets you project multimedia from your PC, DVD player and of course for me, my PS4 or Blu-ray player. This projection is also ideal for 3D imagery.

It’s simple to use, maintain and secure. It’s also an energy saving device as it keeps the costs low with a long lamp life (up to 3,000 hours in normal mode and 4,000 hours in Eco-mode). It also has an authorized feature (password protection).

So check out the Dell S320 projector at Bilster Technologies at Citis Square.

 

 

 

For professional games, Steelseries have been the popular accessories among the youths here in Brunei. Do check the special promotion items at Bilster Technologies. So much rave reviews on the V/2 Headset from Steelseries and it’s a real steal for gamers.

Designed in cooperation with Apple, the SteelSeries Siberia v2 for iPod, iPhone, iPad features around the ear noise dampening, leather earcups with a comfortable over-the-head suspension design. The headset delivers incredible sound through its 50mm driver units for all types of entertainment from listening to music tracks, VOIP and web applications to interactive and competitive games. The headset also includes a unidirectional microphone that can be pulled out from the left earcup for talking on the phone, VoIP or communicating in a game, and then retracted and hidden when it’s not needed.

I haven’t yet to try the Kana Optical mouse but I’m pretty sure it will be doable for my work station as I don’t play games on my computer. This could be a good give for your loved ones and don’t be surprised as they are a lot of female gamers too here in Brunei.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankie Ho, Managing Director of Grand Motors Sdn Bhd, Hj Shaiful Rizal bin Pehin Dato Dr Haji Ahmad, Executive Director of Grand Motors, Jacqueline Koh, Kia Sales Manager, Precious Casao, Marketing Manager of Grand Motors Sdn Bhd and Hj Shaiful Rizal bin Pehin Dato Dr Haji Ahmad, Executive Director of Grand Motors posing with the all-new Kia Rio 

Grand Motors Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor of Kia vehicles in Brunei Darussalam reveals the all-new, 4th generation Kia Rio. It was first revealed in Paris at the 2016 Mondial de I’Automobile. Earlier this morning, the Kia Rio was launched at the showroom at Grand Motors.

So what’s new with the Kia Rio?

It has a new design of course, defined by straight lines and smooth surfacing, giving the car a distinctive, confident new look.

It has a progressive exterior design. At the front, the Rio wears the latest evolution of Kia’s tiger-nose grille, now thinner in height and wider across the front of the car. Integrated bi-function projection headlamps – again, thinner and more sculpted than those of is predecessor – project a new U-shaped LED light signature. Changes to the front of the car, including moving the fog lamps’ position outwards within the front bumper, are designed to add greater visual width for a more stable overall look. The new Rio grows by 5mm in width, further adding to this effect.

The rear section of the Rio is now more upright, with a near-vertical rear windscreen and a shorter overhang. It also features a new arrow-shaped LED light signature. Like the wider-looking “face” of the car, the rear design of the new Rio gives it a stronger overall appearance.

 

 

 

 

 

As for the cabin, it has been redefined, featuring sculptural forms and a more ergonomic layout than previous models.You will see the straight lines running the width of the dashboard characterize the shape of the interior, giving the cabin a wider appearance and increasing the sense of space for occupants. The dashboard is now angled towards the driver with a high resolution touchscreen to power the Rip’s audio and new connectivity systems.

The all-new Rio will offer buyers class-leading practicality and safety technology, the latest connectivity features and more assured and engaging ride and handling characteristics.

Did you know that the Kia Rio is Korean manufacturer’s global best-selling model with more than 473,000 sold around the world in 2015 alone? Awesome!!! Do check out the new Kia Rio at their showroom.

 

 

During the launch today, Grand Motors had some activities for the public such as hanna 

There was also a pancake station 

The crowd earlier this morning 

Only for today that when you take a selfie and post on social media, you will get a portable speaker 

 

 

 

Sentral Shopping Centre is pleased to announce that there will be a Chinese Cultural Week from 1st to 10th February from 4pm to 6pm as to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Chung Hwa Middle School will be taking an active part in the Chinese Cultural Week with Wushu performances, Chinese cultural dance and drumming will be performed by them on the 10th February 2017. On 10th February 2017, there will be an opening ceremony by Mr. Chai Tze Yun Hong, President of Hakka Association, at 2:30pm.

Colouring activities will be held on the 4th Feb 2017, at 5pm open to 8 – 12 years old. On the 3th – 5th Feb 2017 there will be Orange Eating Competition open to 18 years old above and max of 5 participants per session. Registration form can get at our Lucky Draw counter or 3rd floor management office.

 

 

Cooking Demo happening today and tomorrow (3rd and 4th February) 

Cooking Demo taken last year 

Cooking Demo will be on the 3rd February & 4th February, 1st Floor Sentral Shopping Centre. The menu for the cooking demo will be Steamed Prawn Dumpling, Hot plate, Yam Basket w Chicken Chestnut and Butter Prawn w Spring onion. This cooking demo will be demonstrated by the head chef from KBSentral, Chef Sofia. Registration forms are available at Lucky Draw Counter.

There is also Angpow or red packets and oranges giveaway as part of the activity at the atrium of Sentral Shopping Centre for all our customers in light of the ongoing festive spirit! To be able to get the Angpow and oranges, customers need to visit the shopping centre as often as they can during the 10 days event. Also Chinese Theme Photo Booth available for customer to take photo and customer can tag us for Instagram @KBSentral and facebook KBSentral Shopping Centre.

The Management of Sentral Shopping Centre would also like to take this opportunity to wish all customers a prosperous Chinese New Year!

If you need further information, please call 3339889 or email to kbsentralmarketing@gmail.com or you can follow their updates on social media @kbsentral instagram or Sentral Shopping Centre Facebook page.

 

 

 

Orange eating competition happening this weekend 

 

 

His Excellency Craig Allen US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam had the privilege to launch the latest outlet of Burger King (Brunei) at Kiulap. Guess what? His Excellency used to be an employee of Burger King back in the US 40 years ago. Interesting.

He was also happy to see the growing number of franchises in the Brunei economy as this will help to stimulate the SMEs growth in Brunei Darussalam as these are priorities of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

He hoped that there will be more variety of industry in the franchise category, for instance, professional services and such as we don’t have that much or any in Brunei Darussalam. It could be in the field of beauty salon or plumbing or automative.

Present during the launch of the 7th Burger King outlet were Burger King (Brunei) Director Pg Hashim bin Pg Jaya and Deno Goh, Operations Director of Burger King (Brunei).

Also during the launch, Burger King also unveiled their latest menu – Golden Nacho Burger and it comes in beef or chicken. My preference is definitely the Golden Nacho Cheese Beef.. Yummy…

Do check out the latest Burger King outlet in Kiulap. They even have an upper floor where there is a small play area for children.

 

 

His Excellency Craig Allen US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam with the management and associates of Burger King at the 7th outlet launching at Kiulap 

Craig Allen reliving his memories as an employee of Burger King 

The play area at Kiulap outlet 

Craig Allen having a word with Deno Goh 

Craig Allen has a big appetite for burgers 😀 

 

Golden Nacho Cheese Beef